Increased military presence in the Arctic

The Danish Armed Forces will continue the increased presence with exercise activities together with a number of NATO allies in and around Greenland in 2026.

This takes place in cooperation with the Greenlandic authorities and the Greenlandic government, Naalakkersuisut.

In the summer of 2025, the Danish Armed Forces strengthened its presence and exercise activity in and around Greenland with a number of initiatives and capabilities, including with force contributions from allies such as Germany, France, Sweden, and Norway.

The initiatives included deployments at sea, on land, and in the air, as well as exercises related to the protection of critical infrastructure. The Danish Armed Forces’ increased presence and exercise activity will continue and be further strengthened in cooperation with more NATO allies in 2026.

There will be periodic exercise activity geographically distributed in and around Greenland, consisting of both national and international exercises.

The purpose is to strengthen the ability to operate in Arctic conditions and thereby enhance the security of the entire alliance in the Arctic, to the benefit of both European and transatlantic security.

As part of its increased presence in the Arctic and the North Atlantic, the Danish Armed Forces will in the near future deploy capabilities and units in connection with exercise activities related to the defence plans of the Kingdom of Denmark and NATO.

It is a clear priority for the Government that both the Kingdom of Denmark and NATO take greater responsibility in the Arctic and the North Atlantic. Therefore, in 2025 it was decided to invest more than 13.7 billion USD (DKK 88 billion) in capabilities that will help strengthen security and defence in the Arctic and the North Atlantic.

In January 2025, it was decided (the First Agreement on the Arctic and North Atlantic) to make a series of investments in the Arctic and the North Atlantic, including satellite surveillance, two additional long-range drones, and new Arctic vessels. In addition to this, it was also decided to strengthen the Arctic Special Operations Force Sirius. This investment alone is worth USD 37.3 million (DKK 175 million) and will entail a complementary capacity organized under the Sirius Squadron. The new complementary unit will be composed of former Sirius personnel who have undergone additional training. They will be using mobile platforms such as snowmobiles, and may be deployed by air or air-dropped by parachute, ensuring greater flexibility and speed. 

Furthermore, in October 2025, this was followed up with a Second Agreement on the Arctic and North Atlantic which includes significant additional investments e.g. maritime patrol aircraft capacity, additional arctic vessels, icebreaker capability, air surveillance radar, additional drone capacity, specialized Arctic unit as well as strengthening of the Joint Arctic Command with a new headquarter. 

Finally, it is also decided to acquire an additional 16 F-35 fighter jets, bringing the total number of F-35 aircraft in the Danish Armed Forces to a total of 43. This strengthens both our national defence and NATO’s collective defence, including in the Arctic and the North Atlantic. In addition, we have decided to established an air-to-air refuelling capability to support fighter jet operations e.g. in the Arctic and the North Atlantic.